I need an outside opinionBackground: I am 25, and have been at my first job out of college for one year. It is part of a large corporation but I am actually at a small franchise. I have had personal disagreements with my supervisor-and the owner of the business is completely disorganized and a micromanager. I am in the marketing field and find it hard to market something that is in my opinion " not good." I am pretty confident that I do a good job, and I get so much praise from others working in my office. However, I am still unhappy-the owner still looks at me as a "kid" fresh out of college who doesn't know anything. I feel not only underappreciated, but mostly that my opinion doesn't matter. My boyfriend of a long time owns his own business and would like for me to partner with him and take over the marketing and financial aspects of his business. My enthusiasm has left my current job and shifted for the possibilities of working for myself and being able to actually implement my own marketing plan rather than corporate America's plan. Today I went to my supervisor and told him I was unhappy and wanted to quit. He promised me everything I wanted to hear (money, time-off, etc) even said he wanted to promote me to his job when he moves into a new position. Now I am torn between staying at my corporate job that pays decent for an entry-level position and hoping things get better or quit and help build my own small business. As a young professional I worry making the wrong choice could change my life.....please help! You've already made your choice, you told your boss you're leaving, now you have to follow through. What you have in front of you is what we call a "counter offer". If you use the search feature on the negotiation board, you'll see dozens of threads explaining why taking a counter offer is an incredibly bad idea. Now that your boss knows you're a) unhappy and b) willing to leave, they can easily promise you the moon because they're just buying time until they bring in your replacement. It is incredibly unlikely that you'll be there in a few months, especially since your boss has been unhappy with you all along. Think logically, why on earth does he want to go out of his way to keep you around? He can get a replacement for you in a few weeks and probably have someone that isn't going to argue with him to boot. Had you not already given your notice, I would have cautioned you against going to work for your boyfriend. That ship has already sailed however, so now it is time to make that option work. If it does not, you need to immediately get the next job and this next time, stick with it and learn how to get along with your boss, even if you don't like them. You ARE still just a pup and you don't know nearly as much as you think you do right now. Marketing is VERY difficult to break into and experience and good references are going to be everything as you build your career. Whatever sort of great job you do, if you don't win over your boss, it doesn't count. Tess
As a relatively freshly-minted grad, there is a real-world element of paying your dues. I don't know the specifics of this role you have - you may have a bad boss, and/or you may be in a predictable situation where someone with more experience isn't yet ready to give you a lot of rope. (And while I may be off base here - not having all the facts, the point of franchises is to buy into and follow a set play book - operations, HR, marketing, merchandising, which doesn't leave a lot of room for a creative marketer to come in.) It sounds like you need to move. If you are excited about working withyour boyfriend, go for it. Give it your best. If it becomes a labor oflove / needs more time to grow, then you may have to land another job,so don't burn bridges on your way of this one. You want a reference. And if you are going to do it, do it well! Ian Christie Career Changers Coach | |
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